title: Large segmental differences in the spinal projections to the periaqueductal gray in the cat.
abstract: The periaqueductal gray (PAG) is involved in motor activities, such as movements of the neck, back and hind limbs, cardiovascular regulation, micturition, vocalization, and mating behavior, as well as in nociception control. To accomplish these functions the PAG uses information from other parts of the limbic system, from the lower brainstem, and from the spinal cord. To study the ascending projections from the spinal cord to the PAG, tracer was injected in different parts of the PAG, and the number of retrogradely labeled neurons were counted for each spinal segment. Results show that large segmental differences exist in the number of PAG projecting neurons throughout the length of the spinal cord and that different parts of the spinal cord project to specific areas in the PAG.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, The Netherlands. l.j.mouton@med.rug.nl
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Mouton
authors.forename: V G
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: VanderHorst
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Holstege
mesh_terms: D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D000818:Animals; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D002415:Cats; D008032:Limbic System / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D010487:Periaqueductal Gray / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D018998:Wheat Germ Agglutinin-Horseradish Peroxidase Conjugate
chemical_list: D018998:Wheat Germ Agglutinin-Horseradish Peroxidase Conjugate